c/onehundredninetysix@lemmy.blahaj.zone · snoons@lemmy.ca · 7 Sep 2026 22:15

Saturn seen with infruled light

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@gandalf_der_12te@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 Sep 2026

interesting. why are the rings brighter than the planet’s surface? that makes little sense in my head.

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- @snoons@lemmy.caOP · 8 Sep 2026 · edited
  
  Ice I guess.
  
  *www.nasa.gov/…/webb-captures-saturn-in-infrared/
  
  …the rings are extremely bright because they are made of highly reflective water ice.
  
  Fig. 1 mfw saturns rings are icy
  
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  - @LegoBrickOnFire@lemmy.world · 8 Sep 2026
    
    Ow… My guess was blackbody radiation because of all the friction creating heat. But reflective ice makes more sense
    
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